Emily Dickinson Lexicon

FA'TAL, a. [L. fatalis. See Fate.]

1. Proceeding from fate or destiny; necessary; inevitable. These things are fatal and necessary. Tillotson.
2. Appointed by fate or destiny. It was fatal to the king to fight for his money. Bacon. [In the foregoing sense the word is now little used.]
3. Causing death or destruction; deadly; mortal; as, a fatal wound; a fatal disease.
4. Destructive; calamitous; as, a fatal day; a fatal event.